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Share-based Compensation (Tables)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Summary of Stock-Based Compensation A summary of our aggregate share-based compensation expense is set forth below:
 
Year ended December 31,
 
2019
 
2018
 
2017
 
in millions
Liberty Global:
 
 
 
 
 
Performance-based incentive awards (a)
$
134.5

 
$
50.8

 
$
23.9

Non-performance based incentive awards (b)
107.6

 
90.1

 
93.8

Other (c)
39.0

 
43.4

 
13.7

Total Liberty Global
281.1


184.3

 
131.4

Telenet share-based incentive awards (d)
15.6

 
19.6

 
20.7

Other
9.1

 
2.1

 
10.1

Total
$
305.8


$
206.0

 
$
162.2

Included in:
 
 
 
 
 
Other operating expenses
$
3.9


$
4.4

 
$
4.7

SG&A expenses
301.9

 
201.6

 
157.5

Total
$
305.8

 
$
206.0

 
$
162.2

_______________

(a)
Includes share-based compensation expense related to (i) PSUs, (ii) in 2019, (a) the 2019 Challenge Performance Awards and (b) the performance-based portion of the 2019 CEO Performance Award, each as defined and described below, and (iii) through March 2017, certain performance grant units issued to our Chief Executive Officer.

(b)
The 2019 amount includes share-based compensation expense related to the RSAs issued under the 2019 CEO Performance Award, as defined and described below.

(c)
Represents annual incentive compensation and defined contribution plan liabilities that have been or are expected to be settled with Liberty Global ordinary shares. In the case of the annual incentive compensation, shares have been or will be issued to senior management and key employees pursuant to a shareholding incentive program that was implemented in the fourth quarter of 2017. The shareholding incentive program allows these employees to elect to receive up to 100% of their annual incentive compensation in ordinary shares of Liberty Global in lieu of cash.

(d)
Represents the share-based compensation expense associated with Telenet’s share-based incentive awards, which, at December 31, 2019, included performance- and non-performance-based stock option awards with respect to 3,846,649 Telenet shares. These stock option awards had a weighted average exercise price of €43.82 ($49.20).
Stock Compensation Assumptions
The following table summarizes certain information related to the share-based incentive awards granted and exercised with respect to Liberty Global ordinary shares (includes amounts related to awards held by employees of our discontinued operations, unless otherwise noted):
 
Year ended December 31,
 
2019
 
2018
 
2017
Assumptions used to estimate fair value of options, SARs and PSARs granted:
 
 
 
 
 
Risk-free interest rate
1.59 - 2.45%
 
2.68 - 2.92%
 
1.66 - 2.16%
Expected life
3.2 - 6.2 years
 
3.0 - 4.2 years
 
3.0 - 6.4 years
Expected volatility
29.9 - 33.8%
 
30.2 - 33.6%
 
25.9 - 37.9%
Expected dividend yield
none
 
none
 
none
Weighted average grant-date fair value per share of awards granted:
 
 
 
 
 
Options
$
8.60

 
$
8.99

 
$
9.40

SARs
$
6.79

 
$
7.92

 
$
8.60

PSARs
$
6.92

 
$
—

 
$
—

RSUs
$
24.66

 
$
28.72

 
$
31.24

RSAs
$
25.29

 
$
—

 
$
—

PSUs
$
25.00

 
$
23.60

 
$
26.59

Total intrinsic value of awards exercised (in millions):
 
 
 
 
 
Options
$
4.2

 
$
3.8

 
$
13.4

SARs
$
13.6

 
$
22.5

 
$
74.8

Cash received from exercise of options (in millions)
$
2.3

 
$
5.7

 
$
11.7

Income tax benefit related to share-based compensation of our continuing operations (in millions)
$
21.0

 
$
18.6

 
$
9.8
Stock Options Activity
The following tables summarize the share-based award activity during 2019 with respect to awards issued by Liberty Global:


Options — Class A ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
exercise price
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
Aggregate
intrinsic  value
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
 
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
580,254

 
$
27.51

 
 
 
 
Granted
 
61,244

 
$
26.47

 
 
 
 
Exercised
 
(53,240
)
 
$
7.10

 
 
 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
588,258

 
$
29.25

 
3.7
 
$
0.7

Exercisable at December 31, 2019
 
447,042

 
$
29.40

 
2.6
 
$
0.7

Options — Class C ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
exercise price
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
Aggregate
intrinsic  value
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
 
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
2,667,506

 
$
25.09

 
 
 
 
Granted
 
1,364,721

 
$
24.52

 
 
 
 
Forfeited
 
(349,474
)
 
$
24.79

 
 
 
 
Exercised
 
(176,185
)
 
$
6.92

 
 
 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
3,506,568

 
$
25.81

 
3.0
 
$
1.7

Exercisable at December 31, 2019
 
2,820,918

 
$
25.68

 
2.1
 
$
1.7

SARs — Class A ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
base price
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
Aggregate
intrinsic  value
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
 
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
15,308,562

 
$
32.41

 
 
 
 
Granted
 
3,350,635

 
$
24.92

 
 
 
 
Forfeited
 
(1,520,202
)
 
$
32.62

 
 
 
 
Exercised
 
(509,520
)
 
$
19.91

 
 
 
 
Impact of the sale of the Vodafone Disposal Group

 
(377,858
)
 
$
34.89

 
 
 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
16,251,617

 
$
31.18

 
3.9
 
$
—

Exercisable at December 31, 2019
 
10,951,161

 
$
32.66

 
2.4
 
$
—

SARs — Class C ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
base price
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
Aggregate
intrinsic  value
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
 
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
34,401,980

 
$
30.61

 
 
 
 
Granted
 
6,701,270

 
$
24.17

 
 
 
 
Forfeited
 
(3,042,500
)
 
$
31.49

 
 
 
 
Exercised
 
(1,599,608
)
 
$
19.25

 
 
 
 
Impact of the sale of the Vodafone Disposal Group
 
(778,280
)
 
$
33.57

 
 
 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
35,682,862

 
$
29.77

 
3.6
 
$
—

Exercisable at December 31, 2019
 
25,082,821

 
$
30.83

 
2.1
 
$
—

PSARs — Class A ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
base price
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
Aggregate
intrinsic  value
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
 
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
—

 
$
—

 
 
 
 
Granted
 
4,477,343

 
$
25.97

 
 
 
 
Forfeited
 
(405,727
)
 
$
25.97

 
 
 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
4,071,616

 
$
25.97

 
9.2
 
$
—

Exercisable at December 31, 2019
 
1,118

 
$
25.97

 
0.8
 
$
—

PSARs — Class C ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
base price
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
Aggregate
intrinsic  value
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
 
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
—

 
$
—

 
 
 
 
Granted
 
8,954,686

 
$
25.22

 
 
 
 
Forfeited
 
(811,454
)
 
$
25.22

 
 
 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
8,143,232

 
$
25.22

 
9.2
 
$
—

Exercisable at December 31, 2019
 
2,236

 
$
25.22

 
0.8
 
$
—


RSUs — Class A ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
582,374

 
$
31.85

 
 
Granted
 
359,012

 
$
25.09

 
 
Forfeited
 
(141,043
)
 
$
30.23

 
 
Released from restrictions
 
(284,847
)
 
$
31.34

 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
515,496

 
$
27.86

 
2.5

 
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted average exercise or base price
 
Weighted average remaining contractual term
 
Aggregate intrinsic value
Options and SARs:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Class A:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Outstanding
 
1,509,447

 
$
33.96

 
2.0
 
$
—

Exercisable
 
1,429,022

 
$
33.95

 
1.8
 
$
—

Class C:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Outstanding
 
3,374,752

 
$
32.08

 
1.8
 
$
—

Exercisable
 
3,213,870

 
$
32.02

 
1.7
 
$
—
Other-than-Options Activity
RSUs — Class A ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
582,374

 
$
31.85

 
 
Granted
 
359,012

 
$
25.09

 
 
Forfeited
 
(141,043
)
 
$
30.23

 
 
Released from restrictions
 
(284,847
)
 
$
31.34

 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
515,496

 
$
27.86

 
2.5


RSUs — Class B ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
—

 
$
—

 
 
Granted
 
48,786

 
$
26.03

 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
48,786

 
$
26.03

 
0.2

RSUs — Class C ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
1,162,351

 
$
31.02

 
 
Granted
 
718,024

 
$
24.35

 
 
Forfeited
 
(281,767
)
 
$
30.32

 
 
Released from restrictions
 
(572,598
)
 
$
30.29

 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
1,026,010

 
$
26.95

 
2.5

RSAs — Class B ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
—

 
$
—

 
 
Granted
 
670,000

 
$
25.29

 
 
Released from restrictions
 
(670,000
)
 
$
25.29

 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
—

 
$
—

 
—
PSUs — Class A ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
2,904,644

 
$
28.22

 
 
Granted
 
2,502,764

 
$
25.44

 
 
Forfeited
 
(548,237
)
 
$
28.58

 
 
Released from restrictions
 
(1,416,391
)
 
$
31.04

 
 
Impact of the sale of the Vodafone Disposal Group
 
(54,409
)
 
$
24.03

 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
3,388,371

 
$
25.00

 
1.6

PSUs — Class B ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
—

 
$
—

 
 
Granted
 
1,330,000

 
$
25.29

 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
1,330,000

 
$
25.29

 
0.9

PSUs — Class C ordinary shares
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
 
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
 
 
 
 
 
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2019
 
5,814,437

 
$
27.39

 
 
Granted
 
5,005,528

 
$
24.69

 
 
Forfeited
 
(1,098,252
)
 
$
27.71

 
 
Released from restrictions
 
(2,836,847
)
 
$
30.06

 
 
Impact of the sale of the Vodafone Disposal Group
 
(108,818
)
 
$
23.41

 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2019
 
6,776,048

 
$
24.29

 
1.6


 
 
Number of awards
 
Weighted average grant date fair value per share
 
Weighted average remaining contractual term
Outstanding RSUs and PSUs:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Class A:
 
 
 
 
 
 
RSUs
 
3,969

 
$
33.23

 
1.3
PSUs
 
54,990

 
$
24.05

 
0.8
Class C:
 
 
 
 
 
 
RSUs
 
7,923

 
$
32.33

 
1.3
PSUs
 
109,980

 
$
23.44

 
0.8